


sempiternal

by madkingray



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Flower Language, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Set in canon, Sheith Flower Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 17:54:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10791708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madkingray/pseuds/madkingray
Summary: Shiro gasps dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. “Betrayed by my own right arm!”Keith shoves him enough to send him sprawling across the grass and Shiro erupts into laughter in response. He turns away, a silly grin blooming on his own face as soon as he was sure Shiro wouldn’t see.-Keith picks some space daisies for Shiro.





	sempiternal

**Author's Note:**

> for [pshepsh](https://twitter.com/pshepsh)! i hope you like it!
> 
> thank you to enzetto, aki, and mack for making sure it was all okay <3!

The sky shifts from a light orange to a pale pink in a way that reminds him of the ever-changing sky back on Earth. Seeing it fills him with the slightest hint of nostalgia, almost missing the place he once lived. The feeling disappears as he sweeps his gaze across the planet, seeing all the out of place colors that remind him that this is _nothing_ like his home planet.

He breathes in the air and it smells like what he’d imagine a meadow of flowers would.

“Pretty weird, right?”

Keith twitches in surprise when a hand lands on his shoulder. When he turns to look, he spots Shiro’s face glowing with excitement and ducks his head to hide his own responsive smile.

Of course Shiro would be excited at the chance to explore a planet without worrying about the Galra, being the giant space nerd that he is. It makes Keith so very glad to see that the Galra hadn’t ruined his love of space irrevocably.

He doesn’t let himself linger on those thoughts, pointing out a tree with the roots hanging overhead and leaves bunched up around where it’s buried in the dirt. “I thought so when I saw the upside down trees.”

“Maybe our trees are the ones that have the wrong side out while these are right side up.”

“Or maybe the sentient life forms on this planet dug it up and flipped it to prove their professor wrong.”

Shiro releases a breathy laugh in response, causing Keith rolls his eyes and lightly bump their shoulders together. They start walking towards what seems to be a body of water. “Let’s go see what else we can find.”

They walk through the blue grass together, stopping several times to point out things like the glass-like boulder that blends in with the area and the plants that spread open as they pass.

The body of water turns out to be a small pond, a dark shade of purple that almost looks black.

“Reminds me of your eyes,” Shiro comments as he crouches down to dip his fingers in it.

His ears grow hot. “You spend a lot of time looking into my eyes?” Keith asks teasingly, copying Shiro and shivering at how cold the water is.

Shiro flicks some at him. “You know it. I just love that shade of purple. It’s prettier than any galaxy we’ve seen so far.”  

Keith flicks some back at him and hopes that his warm cheeks aren’t obvious. “Shut up, you.”

“You don’t stare into my eyes? I’m crushed.”

“I’m going to push you into the water.”

Shiro gasps dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. “Betrayed by my own right arm!”

Keith shoves him enough to send him sprawling across the grass and Shiro erupts into laughter in response. He turns away, a silly grin blooming on his own face as soon as he was sure Shiro wouldn’t see.

As they move on they come across one of the largest trees he’s seen so far, connected with two others that leave all the roots spread across which creates a perfect amount of shade beneath it. Keith glances over at Shiro and has to bite back a laugh at his how wide his eyes get.

“We’re sure this place is uninhabited, right? I’m no arboreal expert but I don’t think these trees would have been natural on Earth.”

“You’re right about that,” Shiro walks up to the tree, placing a hand on the bark before plopping down on the grass. “Imagine having shade like this back in the desert, though. It would make summer ten times more bearable.”

“You’d probably end up living under it,” Keith scans the area and hums. “I think I’ll continue to explore, maybe I’ll find something else.” Sighing at Shiro’s worried look he offers a smile, hoping to reassure him. “I’ll be fine on my own, Shiro. You know I can handle myself.”

Shiro nods in agreement, waving him away and leaning back against the tree. “Alright. I’ll be here.”

With one last look at Shiro Keith picks a direction and walks, passing by even more trees, boulders, and bushes. He only stops when he figures that he’ll find nothing new, disappointed about that fact. In the process of turning to head back a shine catches his attention, coming from a boulder that has several bushes lining around it.

When he goes to investigate he stares, astonished. “Huh. Daisies.”

The flowers look similar to the ones on Earth, the only difference being the shimmering petals that seem to reach for him when he steps closer. Keith brushes over one with a thumb, the smallest laugh escaping when the petals cling to him as he pulls back.

_Maybe Shiro will like them._

Keith pauses at the thought. He’s not really one to give _flowers_ to the people he cares about (and Shiro definitely falls into that category) but it might bring a smile to his face.

Shiro deserves to smile.

Red had said that there was nothing harmful on this planet so he figures that it wouldn’t hurt to take a few.

Using his ever present knife to meticulously cut a few free, taking the time to make sure that the lengths of the stems are all even, he makes his way back to where he left Shiro—sitting underneath the large tree, head tilted back with his eyes closed.

Keith hides the flowers behind his back when he reaches him, lightly tapping Shiro’s thigh with his boot. “I have something for you.”

“Wow, is it my birthday?” Keith rolls his eyes while Shiro opens his own, plopping down beside him. “Christmas, then? What did I do to deserve a gift from _the_ Keith Kogane?”

“You know what I changed my mind, I’m keeping them for myself.”

Shiro pouts.

He knows it’s on purpose but he still laughs, smile lingering when he hears Shiro’s low chuckle follow after.

“It’s nothing much, really, I saw them and thought you might like them.” Keith places the flowers on Shiro’s lap before he loses the courage to do so. “They look like daisies, don’t they?” He has to bite back another laugh at the bewildered expression Shiro gets when they start curling around his fingers as he lifts them. “Except these seem to have a mind of their own.”

“They’re pretty.” Shiro brushes a finger across one of the petals. His face shifts to something more serene and when he smiles at Keith it’s a lot softer than before; it sends his heart racing and he hopes that his warm cheeks aren’t obvious. “Thank you.”

“I thought they were fitting,” he says and Shiro’s raised eyebrow almost has him feeling embarrassed. He doesn’t let it settle, pushing through it and continuing. “The meanings to a daisy sort of reminded me of you.”

“Oh?”

Keith speaks quietly, watching as Shiro stills at his words. “Innocence and purity, those are the top two meanings I always find.” He leaves it at that, not wanting to get into the other ones he’s read about just yet.

“How do you know so much about flowers?” Shiro asks after a moment of silence, amusement laced in his voice.

“I got bored in that shack.”

Shiro sets the flowers aside, though his fingers linger on the petals, which curl around them like they’d rather be held again. Keith forces himself to not take it as a rejection knowing that Shiro is having trouble processing what he’s just said.  “I don’t deserve these, I’m nothing like that, especially not after everything I’ve done.”

“You’re not like the others out there who do those things with the intent to destroy lives. You did it because you had to survive. You still feel for it all and that makes you better than them.” At the sight of Shiro’s small grimace he continues in a much softer voice, shifting closer to him. “Maybe you don’t believe it but I do.”

“How can you?”

Keith reaches out slowly, pressing a hand to Shiro’s chest. He can feel Shiro’s heart beating fast like his own and doesn’t meet his gaze for now, spreading his fingers. “They couldn’t take this away.”

He watches pink start to blossom on Shiro’s face, a captivating sight. They stay like that for several long ticks and then it’s Keith’s turn to blush when Shiro speaks with an endearing little smile. “You’re pretty amazing, you know.”

All he can do is release the smallest laugh as he removes his hand. The silence is comfortable in the way it always seems to be when he’s with Shiro. He gets lost in thought, staring at Shiro’s calm face and wondering if he should continue.

_Why not?_

“There is another meaning for daisies,” Keith says slowly, eyes darting away so he won’t have to look at Shiro. “You see, they’re made up of two flowers that are blended together in harmony and that symbolizes true love.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath. “Keith—”

Although he’s nervous he continues on determinedly, wanting to get it all out. “I regretted not telling you before you left for Kerberos, I imagined so many ways I could tell you but in the end I couldn’t get the words out. I guess I was afraid but I don’t want to be anymore.”

“Keith.”

He meets Shiro’s gaze, resolute and unafraid. “I love you, Takashi.”

Shiro’s expression is more dazed than anything, staring at Keith like he never wants to look away from him. It starts with a small twitch of his lips, a large smile overtaking his face only seconds after.

Keith is immediately stunned, taking in how _happy_ Shiro looks. It’s been so long since he’s seen him look like that and witnessing it right now takes his breath away. He wonders when he’ll stop being surprised at how beautiful Shiro is and figures that as long as Shiro is by his side he probably never will.

_If he’ll even stay after this._

The nerves come back at full force. He ducks his head and stares at their joined hands. “I did mean it,” he says quietly. “I just wanted to tell you.”

He feels a finger tuck itself beneath his chin, lifting his head back up. The smile on Shiro’s face is still there, laced with tenderness. “That’s good, because I feel the same.”

A gasp spills out, unbidden, and all he can do is stare at him. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Shiro’s eyes go distant, moving his hand so his palm rests against Keith’s cheek. The metal of it is warmer than he expected. “I always held back, thinking you wouldn’t feel the same way. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship with my feelings.”

“That’s what I thought, too.”

Shiro laughs. “We both sure are something, aren’t we?” He licks his lips and Keith finds himself transfixed by the movement, cheeks hot. “I can’t really say when I started loving you because it was just _there,_ like it belonged, and I never argued because it felt _right._ ”

Keith feels both pleased and relieved that Shiro’s saying this but he also wants to hear it. The plea spills out on accident and he feels embarrassed afterwards. “Will you say it?”

He doesn’t seem to mind.

“I love you.” Shiro says it with such sureness and affection that Keith feels like he’s fallen in love all over again. He leans forward and Keith shuts his eyes, expectant. There’s a soft pressure against his forehead, the lightest kiss against his skin that lasts for only a moment.

It still leaves him breathless.

“I know you gave these to me,” Shiro murmurs once he’s pulled away, catching his attention. He’s taken one of the flowers out from his small bundle, rolling the stem between his thumb and finger. “But you deserve one as well.”

He brushes some of Keith’s hair back, carefully placing the flower on the side of it. Keith stays still until Shiro starts to move away again, grabbing his hand and allowing his lips to brush over his knuckles. He keeps his eyes on Shiro, watching the blush that develops at the action.

Keith shifts until he’s sitting right next to Shiro, hesitating for a split second before leaning against his side. Shiro wraps an arm around him without another word and the two of them sit there, enjoying each other’s presence.

“There’s one more meaning,” Keith says. “Do you want to hear it?”

“Of course.”

“New beginnings.”

“Guess these flowers are perfect for us.”

Keith had been wondering what they’d be, wanted to ask so he can be sure but felt silly at the thought. He relaxes against Shiro even further, closing his eyes and smiling at the confirmation. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “They are.”

**Author's Note:**

> ❁


End file.
